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Anyone see Jonny in the west bar? We stayed until MoM presentation when as designated driver, I couldn't stand the Guinness deprivation any longer. Carl was certainly in evidence, chatting, posing for photos and necking isotonic IPA. Real shame IMO if Jonny didn't show; Falcons were a big part of his life and he would have been assured a warm and respectful welcome.

Strange!! You'd have thought that he would want to say hello to the fans who didn't get to acknowledge him on the playing field. But we do know that he never goes seeking an accolade. So that probably explains it.

Grant Shiels looked absolutely done in when he was eventually substituted; no surprising because he coped with Carl well and his overall display was magnificent and the same can be said for the rest of the team. Perhaps we have turned the corner after the Gloucester game let's just hope so.

I'm surprised as anyone that Jonny did not make an appearance, whether to fans or media. This is simply not like him. Those of us who knew him well from his falcons days remember him as an extremely friendly, approachable person; a great communicator very modest and down to earth despite all his fame, ability and achievement.

Well he appeared somewhere - there's a couple of photos of him talking to a few fans here here. Can't work out where it was, but I waited with my daughter for ages afterwards by the changing rooms but didn't see Jonny. Quite a few other Toulon players were wandering about though.

Agree with all comments re the Falcons players - every one we have met so far has been fantastic, even after the A game at Darlington on Monday when it was freezing they were happy to spend time talking & signing autographs.

You shouldn't be at all surprised Mark Smith with Jonny's reluctance to speak to the media etc. after the comments you wrote in your previous article about him caring more about gaining caps for England than playing for the Falcons inbetween injuries. There was absolutely no need for that kind of comment towards someone of Jonny's integrity. Perhaps you didn't like something that he wrote in his book?.

"after the comments you wrote in your previous article about him caring more about gaining caps for England than playing for the Falcons"

Where did I say that?

I've said no such thing.

I said that some cynics claimed he was more focused on caps than club duty (which was an expressed opinion by many at the time) but that such a notion was hard to stomach. I then went on to praise his immense contribution and said he would rightly receive a hero's welcome as a club legend.

I never criticised him at all, I gave a balanced view expressing both ends of the spectrum on his final five seasons at the club which saw 25 league starts and 25 international caps.

"There was absolutely no need for that kind of comment towards someone of Jonny's integrity."

Again, I never questioned his integrity. I laid out some facts.

"Perhaps you didn't like something that he wrote in his book?"

I haven't read his book. Haven't read any of them in fact. I worked closely with him for 5 years and always got on really well with him. Never been a problem at all between us.

Carl Hayman, in contrast, was good as gold with the press and gave up his time to chat even though I know first hand that he truly hates doing interviews. He just got on and did it like a true pro.

Compton needs to understand the last few years of Jonny's tenure at KP. The word integrity was used and I totally agree that integrity is a pre-requisite, however it was sadly lacking on a number of occasions and that is not a comment aimed at Smithy.

His return to Newcastle was clearly the story for some people. It added significantly to the crowd, for starters.

Yes, I agree the guys who played should get the bulk of the attention.

But a courteous quick line to the Falcons fans via the press about how much he enjoyed being back in the area, a few thoughts on the game and a smattering of preview stuff for next weekend would have taken 2mins and generated massive goodwill.

Don't get me wrong, it's not the end of the world and I'm not too fussed.

But given how readily the other 45 players involved in the game were happy to grant similar requests, it just stood out as a sour note and further perpetuated the myth that he will only do media through his lucrative national newspaper column rather than deign the local rag with a harmless quote.

This is really sad. I can't believe that Jonny holds any grudges towards the Falcons' fans. It was not his fault that he did not get to play at all last night. He would have had the warmest of all welcomes had he come on the pitch. And he always said how much he had loved living in the North East and being with the Falcons. I just can't believe that he intended any snub towards the Falcons and their fans. I hope nobody is suggesting that there is such a problem. We need to respect that he is a very private person. Carl, on the other hand, obviously thoroughly enjoyed his night back at KP - and enjoyed the beer in the West Stand bar as well!!! Maybe he did not enjoy so much his tussle with Grant Shiels, tho' he would be proud how one of his proteges has developed.

It was also the first opportunity for hacks from the nationals to have a go at him after the RWC.

You might not be interested by that Smithy, but they wouldn't have let him out alive. Don't blame him for passing up the press, especially as he didn't feature. Shame about not hanging around for the fans though.

Don't get me wrong, I am not saying he holds any grudges to fans or even media. That was not my argument at all.

Had he come on he would have got a hero's welcome, and rightly so.

Jonny is a good lad and I always got on well with him.

It was just a shame that even a bland 30sec soundbite about his return for the local press was beyond the realms of possibility.

I would definitely never criticise his attitude to the fans. In all my years no player has given more time for supporters to sign autographs and do photos etc. Every single away game he did it for hour after hour. Unbelievable effort, and he spent days on end replying to fan mail. Immense at that side of things.

Jonny said in his book he would not be able to play against The Falcons, the reason he turned down offers from other premiership clubs and in the french press it was claimed in did not want to play in the game last night. He went through a difficult time during the last few years he was at Newcastle, injuries and battling depression, who knows how he felt coming back. His commitment to fans is clear, he spent 8 hours signing autographs at Twickenham not so long ago and after every game he spends time with fans. So he didn't talk to the press, the very people who have been pulling him to pieces in recent times. By not doing so at least he gave you all something to moan about!

He was on the bench at the request of the manager who doesn't want Giteau at 10 because he can't speak French yet and feels there is a language barrier between him and the team. He would have come off the bench if required as he is a professional and I guess put his personal feelings to one side.

I can't say why he didn't speak to you Smithy, but I'm sure he had his reasons.

He clearly has a strong connection to the area, he owns a house and business there and his family still live there.

wheelieOnly like you interviews and comments I have read, maybe things have been lost in translation!
He came, he didn't play, he didn't speak, yet we are talking about him, what a man!!!

Whether he asked to come or not, the bottom line is he had no control as to whether he played or not and evidently Laporte decided to keep him fresh for Agen. The weather could have played a big part in that decision.

He's not doing interviews telephonically or otherwise (at least he wasn't last week and Thursday, anyway).

"though he may well make sure you have something next week anyway"

Not sure what that means exactly. Yes, he might play in the game, but there are no press conferences or interviews with him scheduled that I have been made aware of. If that changes then great. If not, then no big deal.

Poor,really poor.JW was a magnificent servant for the Falcons! He not only put his body on the line sometimes behind a pack that was going backwards,but always signed autographs,posed for photos and generally gave the impression he was a great bloke.Whats your beef Smithy?

Yes but then you may not be the sort of person who is not comfortable with fame and is actually reclusive to some extent.

If you were then you would probably sign a few autographs because you felt you should, but would be quite happy to get home when the opportunity arose too.

Nobody should take the way he has acted as an affront. We have had more than our pound of flesh from the lad. If he wanted to get home from a game where he didn't feature quickly, then that is not unreasonable.

Maybe he was given dispensation to leave when he did. If so it's a shame he didn't think to stay, and how well it would have been taken if he had.

[quote twlch]if i was uncomfortable with fame i doubt if i would write a few books and have a national newspaper coloumn[/quote

Don't judge him by the way you would react to fame. He is a complex character and 'though reclusive by nature, has handled the spotlight in a positive way by communicating his passion for rugby in the few books he has written and spending hours after games signing autographs when he must have been longing to go home and relax. Over the years he has given much to the sport we all love and there would be a very good reason why he didn't make himself available after this game.

steve1888Love how everyone jumps to the defence of super jonny but let people like Maccafan slate the hardworking , honest and committed players likes Wilson,Graham and Fitzy etc.

Maybe people have more of a fondness for a player they have seen lift trophies. I take it your sarky "super Jonny" is fine though. The club advertised on the back of "super Jonny" returning because he has a place in many supporters hearts.

As for the 3 you have mentioned Fitzy & Wilson have improved a lot since joining us. Not sure about Graham though, I reckon Tait will sign Mayhew & that will be two hookers above Graham.

Memories appear to be long or short to suit the occasion.
Jonny's best years at the club will always be remembered however there is more to Jonny than himself. He has an entourage who help make his decisions and relationships with KP may not be as sweet as they used to be since he became a Francophile.

Whether this affects his judgement when asked to participate in interviews who knows but it certainly appears likely.

Without wishing to re-open an old chestnut, especially at Christmas time, remember the rumoured 'Twist' it never happened but it still may colour opinions and attitudes!

Get real Steve. Although Jonny has a global record second to none (which reflects brilliantly on the Falcons who developed him), the three adjectives you used to describe the three other players apply in spades to Jonny - honest -yes! - committed - yes, yes - hard-working - yes, yes, yes! I hope you were not implying that Jonny does not have these virtues - because he sure does!!

I've said all I want to say about 1899 on another thread.The players he mentioned are journeymen,Fitz is a reasonable one trick pony,and the other two are not 1st choice,although Tatty has seen fit to reward the Cumbrian with a 3 year contract!'Super Jonny'.Too right!

Maccafan2I've said all I want to say about 1899 on another thread.The players he mentioned are journeymen,Fitz is a reasonable one trick pony,and the other two are not 1st choice,although Tatty has seen fit to reward the Cumbrian with a 3 year contract!'Super Jonny'.Too right!

Isn"t a journeyman someone who is just along for the ride(so to speak) knowing subconsciously that they are not giving 100 per cent.Also a journeyman suggests associations with many clubs.None of the 3 players maccafan accuses are guilty of either charge.On thursday night in awful conditions all 3 of them played there hearts out for the CLUB! As for the "Cumbrian"he mentions which one does he mean?As both Wilson and Graham are cumbrians.

Wilson is a hard working player who deserves his place in the squad due to his commitment and constant improvement. He's not there to be a starter at the moment and he's probably not on a huge contract either.

It's a no brainer to have given him 3 years in my eyes. If Tait would've given him 1 year, he would've been attacked from all angles if he left at the end of the season for another club.

There is nowt so funny as folk Psycho and that certainly applies on this board.Macafan is blindly opinionated it happens.Leipy, you have a particulare aversion to one of our 9s do you not ? maybe he has hit your car? Glass houses and that. and here we are back to opinions right or WRONG!!!

He will always be a top bloke in my eyes, I remember a time when he spent half an hour or more signing autographs and talking to fans after a game and when he got to my daughter he was dragged away by club coaches to do a warm down session - he promised her he would return after the warm down so she waited for an hour for him. Sure as his word, as soon as warm down was completed he came back into the ground, passed loads of fans (who he later went back to) and went straight back to the spot where he had left her, a memory that will stay in her, and my, mind forever.
Top top man who has gone way beyond the call of duty on many occasions, and to call him is churlish in my view.

bird loverThere is nowt so funny as folk Psycho and that certainly applies on this board.Macafan is blindly opinionated it happens.Leipy, you have a particulare aversion to one of our 9s do you not ? maybe he has hit your car? Glass houses and that. and here we are back to opinions right or WRONG!!!

Fair point I suppose, although I don't have a car and I admit that said 9 has looked a bit better recently. Still not the best one we have though. In my opinion.

Anyone who has read Jonny's autobiography will know why he never played in that game. In the book he gave a very frank account of those final months with the Falcons covering all aspects of what went on behind the scenes. I'm glad I read it because it proved to me just how much he loved playing for the Falcons and how hard it was for him to leave. His loyalty was second to none.

No one can kill you for an opinion Leipy,it can be disagreed with and as long as it is not insulting or denigrating no problem.And as long as we keep winning and get some confidence happy days.You noticed Morriartys involvement as regards to being on pitch by minute lately?????

"Perhaps he's so pi55ed off with the press just now that he couldn't be @rsed. Is that so bad? Who can blame him?"

DG, I've done nothing to remotely pee him off. Not that I know of anyway. I always got on well with the lad.

"What would be the point of just that anyway?"

TL, Believe it or not people still have a huge interest in him and even a bland sound-bite thanking the NE public for their support would have been very well received. The absence of such a sentiment has certainly seen messages flooding my inbox, rightly or wrongly.

Incredible stuff reading this. Maybe St Jonny didn't want to speak to the local hack. Who could blame him with his national press interests via his agents. Maybe he wanted to come back to see his long lost north eastern relatives, wherever they are... If all Smithy wanted was some "tame line" then why bother at all? Non story at all levels, and in any case Giteau leaves him miles behind as a players, and with far leads psychological drama.

This Ninjaboy is not a welcome addition to the website. Don't know where all this bitterness comes from. I suspect he is not a Falcons supporter. Still, he is entitled to his opinions, which I suspect are very much minority opinions.

"Incredible stuff reading this. Maybe St Jonny didn't want to speak to the local hack. Who could blame him with his national press interests"

Exactly. That is what the local press find so galling. A reluctance to engage with grass roots media in the local area, but a readiness to accept a large wedge from a national newspaper. Although in fairness I have not seen him do anything in The Times this week as yet, I must add that.

"If all Smithy wanted was some "tame line" then why bother at all? Non story at all levels"

To be totally honest as a personal opinion I actually agree with you, but believe it or not this is what the readers want to hear. The absence of a story qith a quote saying how good it was to be back in the NE and see old friends etc has provoked a significant volume of correspondence to myself, the tone of which is not great towards JW.

Smithy I understand where you are coming from, especially as you have obviously had emails about it.

However, for someone who is reclusive and appears to still regard the Tyne valley as home he doesn't get many opportunities to come back in the season. Bearing in mind the fact he was thinking of retiring maybe he wanted to tell his family in person. He was probably keen to get away for both those reasons.

I also believe that one of the reasons he is so fond of the area is the fact that most of the media have a habit of forgetting about him up here.

I don't think anyone should be taking his silence as a slight. It astonished me that people seem to think he owes them anything, particularly being affronted because you didn't get a quote which you agree would have been relatively meaningless.

In a country where we all say far more than perhaps we need to or should on occasion, maybe we should be grateful for someone who is comfortable keeping their counsel.

Thousands of fans were interested in Jonny's thoughts on returning 'home', and the local paper was the ideal forum to satisfy that interest by describing his feelings and fondness for the region.

It would have taken less than a minute to do, and not involved any anxiety over imminent decisions or probing questions, and it would not have delayed him for family commitments longer than 60 seconds.

Rather than just being an isolated case, it is symptomatic of a sustained unwillingness to engage with a local media which has done nothing but support him throughout his career.

In fact I have never known a player less willing to co-operate with friendly local media.

Yes I can understand not wanting to speak to nationals sniffing around for an England line, but I've known the guy for years and I couldn't give a monkey's about England.

It is just a shame, that is all, and from the messages I received it has disappointed a large number of people.

I bear him no ill and there is no 'beef' between us as was suggested earlier in the thread, but snub the local media on what was clearly a big local story left a sour taste for many folk.

The rugby family in our office could not speak highly enough about JW 'off the field' return to Kingston Park as he posed for a picture for them & they got a England shirt signed by him.

Loads of things hack me off about the local media but JW bland quotes not being in them was not one of them. Felt more sorry for the folk who made the effort to go & see on cold night not see him come for 10 or so mins at the end.

Smithy from this "In fact I have never known a player less willing to co-operate with friendly local media." do we/I gather from your previous role @ KP you could not get JW to engage with local papers in the past?

Smithy from this "In fact I have never known a player less willing to co-operate with friendly local media." do we/I gather from your previous role @ KP you could not get JW to engage with local papers in the past?

Correct.

He did the bare minimum occasional team press conferences and I cannot recall a single 1-on-1 interview he gave to the local media during my 5 seasons working with him.

Falconfan,DGNTR. Sorry you feel I am unwelcome here. The irony is of course that smithy agrees with me. see his post of 14th dec. I'm no Jonny hater, but we are talking about a bloke who played some 150 games for the falcons in 12 years, hardly a great rate of return.

Rate of return for a player is not just how many times they play - for a big name it is how many sponsors they attract, how many fans through the gate, how many shirts they sell, and how many other big name players they attract to the club, or developing youngsters they encourage to stay.

I think Johnny was worth every penny, and everywhere he played in the world, the name Newcastle Falcons went with him whenever the commentary was streamed.

I also suspect that when the club felt he no longer represented good value for money, they made a business decision to allow him to move on.

We should also remember that for although he sometimes didn't play much for us in later years, he was also paid a lot less than he may well have been able to get elsewhere.

Laughable that ninja reckons the club didn't get good value for money from Jonny.

What a load of oarlocks.

Jonny Wilkinson is the biggest marketing asset the world of rugby has ever seen, and that is fact not opinion.

I also happen to know that the club now realise that parting company with Jonny was very commercially damaging to the club. He was the club's biggest asset for years, regardless of whether he played. Of course he would have generated even more cash for the club if he had played more but it is still fact that he generated more cash for the Falcons and English Rugby generally than anybody else in history, despite being injured a lot.

The decision to allow him to move on has cost the club a fortune. I would go as far as saying that the Northern Rock sponsorship deal was on the back of Jonny's value from a marketing perspective.

Remember that even for months after he left the press were still referring to the Falcons as "Jonny Wilkinson's former club Newcastle Falcons" such was the impact he was still having.

Anybody that thinks that Jonny was not value for money in all of the time he was at KP has the commercial nous of a newt.

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